School canteen promotions

Published: 26 June 2012

A school canteen needs to be self sustaining in order for it to be a viable project. Use the following four strategies to increase the profitability of your canteen.

Product

This refers to having something your students want to buy. Consider surveying your students to find out what they want the canteen to offer? Also think about freshness, variety, and limited time specials to keep them coming back to see what is new.

Download our tips on Product

See our blog on attractive menu names

Place / Presentation

Display your food in an attractive way in appropriate containers so that your customers can easily see it. Presentation also includes making sure your canteen is as attractive as it can be and is somewhere your students will want to spend time.

Download our tips on Place

Price

Students care a great deal about price and getting value for money. Perhaps have dialy or weekly specials on certain items.

Download our tips on Price

Promotion

Promotion aims to make your students aware of what you have to sell and to presuade them to buy it.  Promotional tips include:

• have a daily specials board and circulate canteen specials via the school notices/newsletter
• when introducing a new product, reduce the cost of the product for the first week and advertise the special is for a 'limited time'
• introduce combo meals that include a sandwich/wrap, fruit or yoghurt and drink
• rename new products with names that make the foods more appealing and exciting eg Wicked Chicken Wrap
• run a competition to name a new canteen food or re-design the canteen menu
• use 2-for-1 deals, prizes, incentives and implement canteen loyaly cards to promote the sale of food in the canteen.

See our blog on themes for your next promotion